Seating lock for knitting-machine attachments or the like



Msmm

Mardi 18 1924.

W. L. LENGEL.

SEATING LOCK FOR KNITTING MACHINE} ATTACHMENTS OR THE LIKE Filed April 4,

' of February sixth, 1917, and in in pending.

cally operated during1 L. LENGEL, or READING,

Hoasr 00., or nmarnnnsvnvanm, n coitrom'rion or ,P

sna'rme nocx non KNITTING-MACHINE arracnnrsoa Application filed April 4, 1922. Serial No. saassa I To all whom it may, concern;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. Lnrrenn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county ofBerksand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Seating Looks for Knitting-Machine Attachments or thelike, of which the following is a specifi-' cation'.

My invention relates to a locking deviceadapted to secure a movable machine part in accurately seated relation to a relatively fixed part, and particularly applicable to knitting machine attachments as hereinafter set forth; and it consists in improved clamping means adapted to be automatithe seatin or unseating movement, as fu y describe 'in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, and the novel features of which are set forthw in the subjoined claims.

Fig. 1 illustrates my, invention applied in preferred manner, the drawing indicating a knitting machine having a striping thread attachment, and showingmy seating lock in connection with the vertically movable shaft of the latter, to which it is particularly adapted.

Fig. 2 shows an enlar ed detail view of my improved seating 100 the parts being indicated in seated and locked position and shown in section on the line 22 of Fig. 4.;

Fig. 3 is a view sin -ilar'to Fig. 2, but indicatingthe shaft raised from its seat.

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on'the line 4-4 of Figs. 1 anj 2. s a

Referring to the dr wings, 1 represents the rotary needle cylin er of a known knitting machine, such as that set forth in Hemphill Patent No. 933,443 of September seventh, 1909, 2 one of me circular series of needles commonly employed therein, and 3 a thread-carrier finger of a known cooperating striping thread attachment such as that set forth in Robinson Patent No. 1,214,826

application Serial No. 543,142, fi ed March thirteenth, 1922. This finger 3 is commonly vcarried by a suspension plate 4 fixed to an axially adjusted shaft 5adapted to accurately position said finger in fixed relation to needles 2, or to raise the same to an elevated out-of-the way' position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The drawing shows this shaft 5 splined in the sleeve 6 of a 1'0- to normally hoid the" latter in raised tary spindle table 7, carried in bracket 3 a standard 9,.with an extension 10 ofthe latter forming atop bearing for asle'eve ring 11, and a shaft 12 adapted to impart mo tion to table 7 from the needle" cylinder drive mg mechanism through shaft gear 12 and flange gear 79 of said table as heretofore, to rotate shaft 5 in the sfeeve 6 of the; latter and carry .su'spendedfinger 3 around with the rotating needle cylinder L'The axial rEimsYLvAn-rA, nssrenon. T0 v"run norms a1 shifting of shaft 5 maylbelaccomplished in any well known manner,'and in the drawings I have indicated aconvenientlfloeated handled lever 13 connected by a l' Mto a shifting lever 15, the latter, as shown, .hav

ing a forkedend' 16 engaging studs 17 on a ring 18 loosely carried in an annular groove formed in a peripheral extension 1910f a shaft-moving sleeve 20, the I of said lever carrying a weig t ada ted to nearly counter-balance the shaft an its at tachments. p

My seating lock, hereinafter s ificallydescribed, is particularly' adapta le to an axiall shiftable shaft sue'h'asshaft 5 above descri ed, to automatie'all lock the same in fully lowered and seated free the same ing it. 1

The shaft-moving clearly seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is preferably looselym'ounted upon shaft ,,5, with a limited axial travel thereon" between fixed collars preliminarily to reversely mov- 22 and 23, and is formed with a conical" clamp-'actuatin portion 24. The collar 23,

as shown, is a aptedto engage a fixed. seat 25, and iscarefully adjusted on shaft 5 to rality of spring fingers 26, 26,'arrang to bear on the conical portion 24 of sleeve 20 031- tion against fixed collar 22, but yiel able under ressure' to permit lowering movement o said sleeve toward collar 23.

Upon. the upper end of the axially fixed sleeve" 6, as shown, is secured an annular cap 2'? havin a collar extension 28,-t fieupper surface 0 which forms the fixed seat 25 for the shaft collar 23. This extension 28 is provided with opposite radial slots 29, 29 for clampin dev1ces30, 30, pivotally held in said slots y pivot pins 31, 31, and having v and spread 32, -32 adapte to be enga ogposite end '21 sleeve. '20, as more position, and to nee" by the clamp-actuating conical portion 24 of sleeve when the latter is moved toward collar 23, thus clampingly engaging the ends 30, with the shaft 5.

The operation of my device is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 3, and downward movement being imparted by lever 13 to shaft-moving sleeve 20, the latter will remain in contact with collar 22, but will transmit axial downward movement to shaft 5 through collar 23, due to the frictional engagement of spring fingers 26 with the conicalport on of said sleeve, the latter remammg n this raised position until it has moved said collar 23 into engagement with fixed seat 25. When the collar 23 is thus firmly seated on seat 25, further movement of sleeve 20 causes its independent travel on shaft 5, the springs 26, 26 yielding and riding up portion 24, but exerting a downward pressure on collar 23 to prevent any rebound tendency of the latter, and this travel of sleeve 20 carries 1ts conical portion 24 into spreading engagement with the operating extens ons 32, '32 of clamping devices 30, 30, actuating the latter to engage and clamp the shaft 5 1n firmly seated position, the parts now assuming the position indicated in Fig. 2. Upon reverse movement of lever 13, the first action of sleeve 20 is an independent travel movement from collar 23 to collar 22, the shaft being held against movement by the clamps 30, 30; and this independent travel of sleeve 20 carries the latter out of engagement with the clamp extensions 32, 32, freeing the shaft from clamps 30, 30, and permitting engagement with collar 22 to raise said shaft, the spring fingers 26, 26 again engag ng with conical portion 24 to retam the sleeve 1n the position.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that my improved seating lock automatically effects the clamplng' of the fully seated shaft, prevents any rebound movement, and firmly retains the shaft in seated position; and that the ra sing movement first acts to free the shaft from the seating lock preliminary to moving the shaft. A seating screw 35 may be employed in seat 25 to minutely adjust the contact point, and it will be understood that my lock is equally applicable other machines than knittlng. machines. Modification and changes will obviously sugcst themselves and I do not desire to limit myself to the specific mechanism shown and described.

What I claim is: y

1. In a device ofthe character described, a fixed part, an axially ranged to seat thereon, a clamping device for locking said movable part when seated,

and a relatively movable clamp actuating device carried by one of said parts and opto a non-rotated shaft, and to movable part ar-.

erated by the seating and unseating movements.

2. In a device of the character described, a fixed part, an axially movable part arranged to seat thereon, a clamping device for locking said movable part when seated, and a movement-imparting member comprising a relatively movable clamp-actuating device operated by the seating and unseating movements imparted by. said member.

3. In a device of the character described, a fixed part, an axially movable part arranged to seat thereon, a clamping device for locking said movable part when seated, a movement-imparting member having a limited idle'movement, and a clamp-actuated device adapted to be operated during .such idle movement preliminarily to the seating or unseating movements imparted by said member.

4. In a' device of the character described, a fixed part, an axially movable part arranged to seat thereon, a clamping device for locking said movable part when seated, a movement-imparting member carrying a clamp-actuating device and having a limited idle travel between fixed stops, and means adapted to'hold said member against such travel until said parts are seated.

5. In a seating lock, the combination of a fixed support, an axially movable shaft ar ranged to seat thereon and having fixed spaced collars, a shaft-clamping device, and

a shaft-carried clan'ip-actuating sleeve movable between said collars when said shaft is seated.

6. In a seating lock, the combination of a.

fixed support, an axially movable shaft arranged to seat thereon and having fixed spaced collars,a shaft-clamping device, and a clamp-actuatin shaft-moving sleeve independently movable between said collars when said shaft'is seated.

- 7. In a' seating lock, the combination of a fixed support, an axially movable shaft arranged to seat thereon and having fixed spaced collars, a shaft-clamping device, a clamp-actuating shaft-moving sleeve independently movable between said collars when said shaft is seated, and'means to prevent such independentmovement when said shaft is moved from its seat. v 8'. In a seating lock, the combination of a fixed support, an axially movable shaft arranged to seat thereon and having fixed spaced collars, a shaft-clamping device, a clamp-actuating shaft-moving sleeve inde pendently movable between said collars to operate said clamping device, and spring fingers on one of said collars adapted to normally prevent such independent sleeve movement.- i

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.v

WILLIAM L. LENGEL. 

